Fr Raymond Portelli, from Nadur, has for
past nine years been a missionary priest in Iquitos, Peru, where he is
also studying medicine. Together with Fr Alex Cauchi, from Gharb, he has
opened a home for AIDS
patients who are in dire need of a dignified way in which to suffer this
horrendous disease. In this article, Fr Ray gives a touching account of
his experience and makes a heartfelt appeal for help with his work.
Something
Beautiful for God
by Fr Raymond
Portelli
It
was a wet rainy day when a true Christian came to our parish door asking
for a priest because one of her neighbours was dying and was asking for
(God's pardon. It wasn't the first time I was visiting a dying person
but I knew something was different. I set off with a Bible in my hand
and the blessed oil for the sick in my pocket and followed the lady
until we reached a small river bank where we had to take a canoe to get
to one of the floating houses found along the area of Belen in the city
of Iquitos, Peru. As I entered the "house", I was immediately
struck by the awful smell of decaying flesh. There was extreme poverty
all around. Here was a young 25-year-old man lying on the floor in a
very pitiful situation. Just flesh and bone, with ulcers all over his
lips and trying to speak with an agonising breath. Clinical guess work
is very easy in these situations and I quickly concluded he was
suffering from AIDS.
Iquitos is the second city in Peru with high absolute figures of
diagnosed AIDS patients. Of course the number is much greater than the
figure published by the health department, for the simple fact that an
ELISA test to determine HIV infection costs a week's pay, and many
simply either do not have a job or simply cannot afford to give out a
whole week's pay when five to eight hungry mouths are waiting for
something to eat at home. I prayed over the young man, I could hardly
hear his confession but I am sure God did. I anointed him with the
blessed oil with the hope that the Lord might save him from further
suffering. I left him there and went back to my warm abode.
Sitting back home I looked around me and realised how cosy I was. The
image of that suffering AIDS patient came back to me all day long. It
was not the first time I assisted an AIDS patient but it was the first
time that I realised that our faith cannot simply be based on words of
comfort and hope. For the first time, I understood that love is not
simply a subject but a verb. Truly I had tried to comfort the soul of
this man but his body remained in fever and pain, dirty and abandoned.
Can the soul of a broken body be comforted? A decision had to be made.
I called the EPAP (Equipo Parroquial de Animacion Pastoral) - a group of
four lay committed people who together with their parish priest lead the
pastoral life of our parish. I told them of my experience and presented
them with a challenge - what can the Parish of Saint Martin de Porres do
for AIDS patients in Iquitos?
We talked about it, we prayed about it, we went to our bishop about it.
Finally we decided: with the help of Fr Alex Cauchi, another Gozitan
missionary parish priest serving in Iquitos, we rented a house, fitted
it up as a small clinic, got a doctor, five nurses, three helpers and
administrator and started receiving those AIDS patients abandoned to
their destiny in the streets or in some forgotten hut. Many wanted to
come and choosing which patients to receive was a challenge. We had to
receive the poorest of the poor - we simply do not have room for more
that 15 patients at a time.
The mission of this house is simple: Provide a home for abandoned AIDS
patients in their third stage of infection where they can find
cleanness, food, warmth, medical and spiritual attention and, most of
all, friends.
Our vision - to create awareness among the people of Iquitos that AIDS
is not a punishment by God but an invitation to love those suffering
from this disease; to establish a true home with enough space and
personnel to be able to take care of all AIDS patients in a way that no
person should die dirty, without medical treatment and abandoned.
This experience started out last July - with the bishop's blessing - and
with the little funds we had we rented a home right in the parish
consisting of a hall, kitchen, five bedrooms each with a toilet and a
small opening between each room. We formed our small professional team
on a voluntary basis and Fr Alex and I started looking for patients.
That part wasn't hard: word came to us from all over Iquitos of AIDS
patients abandoned - taking into consideration that no medical service
in Peru is free of charge and public hospitalisation is quite expensive
considering the poor wages and unemployment that exists.
The
hard part was finding funds. The parishioners are great. They visit the
sick continuously, giving food products, clothes, blankets and offering
true friendship. This help came not only from our parish but also from
all the neighbouring parishes of Iquitos. But the expenses were greater
- rent, basic medicines, electricity and water service, and a symbolic
retribution for the volunteers. All this amounts to $1,800 per month.
There have been times when Fr Alex and I thought about closing down the
home - we simply do not have enough funds to continue. Our parishes in
Iquitos are quite poor and cannot afford to maintain this service. I
believe God wants this house. I believe God is present in this house. I
believe it is Something Beautiful for Him - we called it like that in
honour of one of Blessed Mother Teresa's sayings.
And therefore I turn to those who are reading this - basically we need
Lm20 a day to keep the house running - to spare this amount for us each
year. This would cover all expenses to make 15 patients feel at home and
cared for. Some get better and return to their ordinary lives knowing
that soon they will have to come back; others die but do so in a clean
bed with somebody holding their hand.
Donors may choose the day which they would like to sponsor and we
promise you that on that day all of the patients at the home will be
praying for them and their loved ones.
Please write to Fr Raymond Portelli, 7A, Grunju Street, Nadur, Gozo, or
send an e-mail to abpdios@eudoramail.com.
The donation can be made by cheque in Maltese liri payable to Fr Raymond
Portelli.
(published on The Times of Malta, April 16th, 2004)
